2.4: Working on Language- Simple Sentences

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In this unit we are going to start looking at sentence structure. There are different types of sentences: simple, compound, and complex. We’ll save compound and complex to Units 3 and 4; for now, let’s think about simple sentences.

What Is a Sentence?

A collection of words? There is more to it than that. Every sentence must contain two things: at least one subject and at least one predicate. If it does not have those things, it is not a sentence.

What is a subject?

A subject is a person, place, or thing that does the action of the sentence, or that the sentence is about. A subject is usually a noun or a pronoun. Note that a sentence can have two subjects. Look at the following sentences; the subjects are bold.

Alisa and James had no food in their house.
A guest caught a fish in the river.
Another guest found some wild mushrooms.
They cooked a magnificent meal.

What is a predicate?

A predicate is the part of the sentence that gives information about the subject or tells us what the subject did. The predicate always contains a verb. It usually contains other things, too, such as another noun (the object of the verb), an adjective that describes the object, or an adverb that describes the verb. Look at the sentences again; this time, the predicates are underlined and the verbs are in italics.

Alisa and James had no food in their house.
A guest caught a fish in the river.
Another guest found some wild mushrooms.
They cooked a magnificent meal.

What Is a Simple Sentence?

A group of words that contain a subject and a predicate is called a clause. Sentences are made up of clauses. The sentences above are simple sentences because they only have one clause.

A simple sentence may have one subject and one verb, or it may have two or more subjects or two or more verbs. The important consideration is how many clauses it has. Look at the examples below; the subjects are bold, and the predicates are underlined.

Alisa caught a fish.

(One subject–predicate group = one clause)

Alisa and James caught a fish.

(Two subjects sharing one predicate = one clause)

Alisa caught a fish and found some mushrooms.

(One subject sharing two predicates = one clause)

Alisa and James caught a fish and found some mushrooms.

(Two subjects sharing two predicates = still only one clause)

You Try It!

Look at these sentences. Draw a circle around the subject, and underline the predicate.

1. Cola contains a lot of sugar.

2. Canadians are eating less meat now.

3. B.C. farmers produce many varieties of apples.

4. You can grow tomatoes, cucumber, and lettuce on your balcony.

5. The healthiest foods are around the perimeter of the supermarket.

6. Many Indian dishes contain rice and vegetables.

7. A cafeteria lunch costs at least $10.

8. Boxed macaroni and cheese is full of additives.

9. The 100-mile diet reduces your ecological footprint.

10. Jennifer eats pasta on Mondays and chicken on Tuesdays.